photo by mdxdt www.flickr.com *Picture book for preschoolers (However, this can be used with elementary students during a poetry unit.) *Young boy as main character *Rating: Red Sled is a clever book about a night time sled ride for a boy and his dad. Not to mention, there’s wonderfully bright illustrations! Short, short summary: A [...]

Quick post this morning because I’m off to preschool land to sub for a friend whose infant is in the hospital with RSV. Prayers and well-wishes are appreciated. But before I leave, I wanted to reveal the winner of Watersmeet. Thank you again to everyone who left comments and to Ellen Jensen Abbott for her [...]

photo from www.peterrabbit.com Over holiday break, I finally watched the movie Miss Potter, starring Renee Zellweger as Beatrix Potter. It was a sensational movie, and I watched it with awe and amazement. Mostly because it was fascinating to see how Beatrix Potter created her books and fought for her books and didn’t even know how [...]

Yesterday, several people commented on the post about Ellen’s YA fantasy book, Watersmeet. There’s a discussion going on about the book cover and how Ellen talked to the publisher about the look of her main character on the cover–a conversation that’s been had a lot lately. Check it out here, and leave your own comment [...]

Last week, I featured historical fiction author, Clara Gillow Clark, on my blog on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a great discussion about historical fiction, and we both appreciate all your comments. This week, I am featuring YA fantasy writer, Ellen Jensen Abbott, and her book, Watersmeet. Please leave a comment below about the book [...]

photo by zitona www.flickr.com How many of our children or students feel like the boy in the picture? Frustrated!!! I decided to dedicate this Maniac Monday post to the topic of differentiated instruction and modifications because 1) it’s something I’ve always been interested in as an educator 2) I had a recent conversation with a [...]

photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com Before I write about this super cute book, Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, I want to announce the winners of Clara Gillow Clark’s Hattie books from the contest I held on Tuesday and Wednesday. And the winners are. . . *1st place: Tami R. *2nd place: Shelby S. *3rd place: Bailey [...]

When I taught remedial reading to second graders in Boonville, Missouri, I loved the week we spent reading this book. Some of the kids had heard it read to them before by kindergarten or first grade teachers or librarians, but many of them were experiencing it for the first time. They LOVED when the monkeys [...]

First, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on yesterday’s post about Hill Hawk Hattie. I am excited that so many people are interested in historical fiction! The contest is still going on. You can leave a comment on this post after reading this very informative article with [...]

I am so excited to have a great historical fiction author and her books on my blog today and tomorrow. I am even more excited about the book giveaway contest. Clara Gillow Clark has donated a copy of all three Hattie books to give away as prizes to lucky winners who comment on today’s post [...]